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Bikes Belong Seeking 1 Million Cyclists to "Sign the Pledge"

Bikes Belong announced the launch of peopleforbikes.org last Thursday night during a presentation at the Bicycle Leadership Conference in Monterey, Calif. The unprecedented initiative aims to unite one million bicyclists of all riding styles and abilities to encourage government leaders to support legislation that improves bike paths, lanes, trails and other facilities from coast to coast.

The launch was highlighted by the collective commitment of more than 150 bike industry leaders, including the CEOs of Cannondale, Fuji, Giant, Park Tool, Raleigh, Schwinn, Shimano, SRAM, Specialized, Trek and other top bike equipment companies, who also pledged to urge others to follow their lead.

While millions of Americans ride bicycles and recognize the economic, social and physical benefits of riding, only a fraction have stood up to help improve bicycling in America. The goal of peopleforbikes.org is to gather and unify one million voices in support of a better future for biking, and to give people the tools to easily promote pro-bike policies in their own communities.

“As our leaders plan for the future of transportation and recreation in America, we need to send a unified message that bicycling is important and beneficial to individuals and our nation,” said Tim Blumenthal, President of Bikes Belong. “From the casual rider to the avid bicyclist, Americans everywhere want safe, appealing and convenient places to ride – and peopleforbikes.org will be the conduit that ensures this message will be heard.”

The official launch of the initiative came on the eve of the 2010 Sea Otter Classic – one of the world’s largest annual racing and consumer bike expos – April 15-18, in Monterey, Calif. Even before peopleforbikes.org officially launched, nearly 10,000 people had signed the pledge in support of a better future for biking. The campaign worked to add to this total at the Sea Otter event, leading to more than 15,000 pledges to date.

Mountain bike legends Gary Fisher and Dave Wiens both pledged their support at Sea Otter, and Lance Armstrong has since tweeted asking his more than 2 million Twitter followers to sign the pledge.

In addition to asking individuals to sign the pledge, peopleforbikes.org encourages people to make the movement their own. The site offers a place to share biking stories, download local action kits, write letters to support pro-bike policies, and more. Park Tool Co supports this effort and we would love to have a big number of professional and home mechanics included among those who sign the pledge.